Means for molding and decorating material



June 1950 E. c. v. OLDOFRED! 2,510,999

MEANS FOR MOLDING AND DECORATING MATERIAL Filed Oct. 19, 1945 4Sheets-Sheet 1 fig 284 55 .1

@- 4. k5? 5 I MVAWQ 54 M 57 Q?- M A Yr June 13, 1950 E. C. V. OLDOFREDIFiled 001:. 19, 1945 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 I %/6'9 z A 79 6] 4 i l 7 7gINVENT R: Edgar c. flldy redz' June 1950 E. c. v. OLDOFREDI 2,510,999

MEANS FOR MOLDING AND DECORATING MATERIAL Filed Oct. 19, 1945 4Sheets-Sheet 3 INVEN TOR: Edgar (T l/0/d0/rea'e' fills AGE/Yr June 13,1950 E. c. v. OLDOFREDI 2,510,999

' MEANS FOR MOLDING AND DECORATING MATERIAL Filed Oct. 19, 1945 4Sheets-Sheet 4 H] [/U/H/ j ]12 111 54 W I L ii 11 s= [N VEN TOR: Edgar cMayra/I- Patented June 13, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MEANS FORMOLDING AND-DECORATING- MATERIAL.

Edgar C. V. Oldofredi, New York, N. Y.

Applicationoctober 19, 1945, Serial No. 623,262

2 Claims.

This is a "continuation-impart,reference be-' ing had to my pendingapplication,- Ser. No. 566,430, filed December 4, 1944.

One of the principal objects of my invention is to provide means formolding and simultaneously decorating material of three-dimensionallyshaped surfaces.

Another object is to provide means for subjecting a surface of moldablematerial to a design impression by means of a formed wire mesh die.

Another object is to provide means for subjecting the surface ofmoldable material to impressions by a formed wire mesh die havingembossed'orrecessed design areas.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will, in part, be setforth in the following specification and; in part, will be obvioustherefrom without being specifically pointed out.

Designs may be impartedto the surfaces of moldable material in variousways some of which are outlined below. Material may be molded in a moldor form which contains a design on theinside of its walls either as arecess in-the walls or projecting therefrom in formof "a relievo. Thematerial to be molded is filled into such a mold in a liquid or powderedstate, and upon hardening, will have design reproductions embodied inits surface corresponding to'the designs inherent in the wall of themold.

Another way is first to impart to the material only a form duringmolding and thence to impart into the surface'thereof designs after thematerial has been taken out of the mold but before it has assumed itsfinal state of hardness.

Still another way consists in taking a molded material that has assumedits final'state ofhardness, and imparting to the surface thereof a dcsign either by rendering the surface temporarily moldable again andletting it harden thereafter,

or by impressing the design directlythereon if the consistency of thematerial is one of comparative softness and admits of such a direct im-'pression, or furthermore, by imparting a design into the surface bycarving it thereinto or otherwise removing material from the surface forthepurpose of a design.

In the prior art methods and means of producing designs in moldablematerial have been made in accordancewith one of the foregoing ways orby still other'means. All of such designs,

however, have heretofore required the work of askilled' artisan, whetherfor incorporating such a design into the Walls of the mold for laterreproduction, or for working it by hand directly" forms, stampsand'matrices embodying a design for'reproducing the same into-thesurfaceof a moldable material are in the present artcharacterized byhigh initial cost. Even simple patterns and designs require the" skillof an expert for making such a matrix and,,as such designs are requiredtobe beautiful, the services of artists or highly skilled andspecialized craftsmen are employed for manufacturing satisfactoryreproduction means; Die-sinking, hand-routing, en-

graving and carving; and other slowmethod's" of hand-tooling areemployed in the making of theconventional casts and molds.

It has always been difficult, therefore; to provide molds and dies forshort runs, such as are required for individualized products, forseasonal} fashionable and advertising novelties and the like; becausethe" cost was prohibitive in relation to the quantities involved.

Furthermore, where dies and stamps have been used' for reproducing adesign into a material after it has received its final shape in amolding operation; great pressure is required to produce athree-dimensional design from the conventional die into the surface of amoldable material; and the reason for such high pressure requirement maybe found in the displacement resistanceof excess material caused by thesolid die surface when it is pressed into the form.

Due to the high cost of such matrices or dies, they are often employedwith material that is moldable only by means of a secondary operationafter it has been formed and has lost its moldable characteristics.

impression other than cutting or' etching could be made into'the surfacethereof.

In order to correct the deficiencies encounteredby the use of methodsand means of the prior art, I have devised a new means the objects ofwhich have been mentioned in the foregoing and which are explained belowin detail, and their advantages over the existing art are pointed out'later on.

In the present invention, a mesh or fabric is For instance, glassheretofore had to be liquified before a design- 3 used either as a moldor in combination with a mold during the molding operation, or aftermolding, as a die for the purpose of reproducin a three-dimensionaldesign. The mesh may be made of metal wires or of plastic threads or ofthreads of other material, or of non-metallic threads interwoven withmetal wire.

For some purposes the fabric may be used as a decorating die withoutfurther preparation for making impressions into the surface of amoldable material with a simple fabric pattern or such other screen orpattern as the weaving of the mesh may have inherent. It is possible tohave a special fabric woven for such purposes which will result in adistinctive mesh reproduction.

The mesh die, and particularly the type of mesh die made of threads ofhard and resilient material, such as metal wire, or plastic, fibre,glass thread, or a combination thereof, may be subjected to theimpression of a design by methods related further below, for providing aformed mesh die having a compacted, embossed, or otherwise embodieddesign area.

With such a formed mesh die reproduction of a three-dimensional designmay be performed or molding may be carried out simultaneously therewithand results may be obtained at a low cost compared to the great expenseresulting from the use of methods and means known to the u prior art,and lettering, pictures and intricate patterns enhanced by a fancywatered silk (moire) background can easily be reproduced into a moldablematerial.

Decorating with such a formed mesh die produces a three-dimensionaldesign which is surrounded by a screen pattern, and in my preferredembodiments the design itself is shown to have a recessed screenbackground, the latter being lighter in appearance compared to theformer.

The surface of a wire mesh die, especially one of a coarse mesh consistsof a multitude of elevations equalling less than one-twentieth of thearea of a corresponding full surface; therefore, when impressing a wiremesh die into a surface, only a fraction of the pressure is required,that a solid die would necessitate contacting simultaneously over itsentire' area. At the same time, reduced pressure requirement is alsocaused by the fact that the displaced excess material will lightlypenetrate into the wire mesh when brought in pressure contact therewith.I have made provisions which are described hereinbelow to control thispenetration according to theconsistency of the respective material.

.With the above and other objects of the invention in view, theinvention consists in the novel construction, arrangement andcombination of various devices, elements and parts, as set forth in theclaims hereof, certain embodiments of the same being illustrated in theaccompanying drawings and described in the specification.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a sectional view of a mesh in its application as a die;

Fig. 2 discloses a design in perspective, the letter A having beenselected for the purpose of illustration;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of a mesh and a design in pressure engagementthereon;

Fig. 4 is a cross section of a wire mesh having design impressions onits surface and a material engaged to the underside thereof;

iii;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of a mesh die between two materials to bedecorated;

Fig. 6 is an elevational view, partly in section, of a mesh die,carrying a design and a cover coating thereon;

Fig. 7 is a sectional view of a mesh die with a design embedded therein;

Fig. 8 discloses an embossed mesh die engaged by two flattening rollers;

Fig. 9 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 1, of a mesh die carrying acover and shown in engagement with a material that has penetrated intothe die;

Fig. 10 is a sectional view of a mesh die having .a design elevation andcarrying a cover on top;

Fig. 11 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 10, the cover being shown onthe underside of the die;

Fig. 12 is a top view of two wire fabrics at an angle of weaving to eachother and closely entwined;

Fig. 13 is a sectional view of two entwined fabrics, which are shown inFig. 10, and a cover secured thereon;

Fig. 14 is a cross section through a wire mesh having an aperture andcarrying a cover on top;

Fig. 15 is a perspective view of a design cut out of wire mesh, theletter A having been selected for the purpose of illustration, and acover on the bottom thereof;

Fig. 16 is a plan view of a formed wire mesh substantially shaped like across;

Fig. 17 is a perspective view of a formed wire mesh die folded from themesh shown in Fig. '7;

Fig. 18 is a, sectional view of a mold containing a molded material anda wire mesh die having a cover;

Fig. 19 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 18, disclosing a moldcontaining two Wire mesh dies -in pressure engagement with materialtherebetween;

Fig. 20 is a perspective View of a cylinder and a mesh die envelopingthe same in part;

Fig. 21 is a perspective view of a spherically shaped hollow wire meshdie with a cover on the outside;

Fig. 22 is a perspective view of a base and a cube thereon;

Fig. 23 is a perspective view of a base carrying a portion of a sphere;

Fig. 24 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 4, but showing a layer ofpaint between the wire mesh die and the material;

Fig. 25 is an elevational view partly in cross section, of a machine forutilizing the die for decorating;

Fig. 26 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 4, the wire mesh havingelectrical wire terminals, and an insulating plate is shown above thewire mesh; parts of a press are shown in elevation; and

Fig. 27 is a schematic and partly extended view disclosing parts of apress and an electrical circuit connecting two wire mesh dies.

In accordance with my invention, the decorating of material is achievedby first embodying a design in a mesh or fabric and thereafter utilizingthe mesh containing the design to impart the same to the surface of amaterial to be decorated.

In the description of the drawings in which similar numerals designatesimilar parts throughout:

Wire mesh die Referring to Fig. 1, 31 indicates a wire mesh made ofmetal wire or of threads of other material, in contact with a moldablematerial 32 to be decorated. Thisltypexmesh willaonly be used-.as a diewhere the imparting cf an ornamental pattern I is desired, .asthecmeshzdie :3 l was left unprocessed and only its rinherent weavingpatternmaybe reproduced.

However, for decorating amaterial with a three dimensionaldesign,(embossing, debossing, etc., or a combinationoficoloring withembossing,etc.) aformed mesh die-has tozbe used, made of metal wire or of threadsofoth-er hard andresilient materiaL whiclr has been processed beforebeingappliedfor reproductionz A design has to be workedon impressed intothe mesh. This may be done by a multitude -of -me'thods, of which some 1are outlined i below.

lmpressing a design into -the mesh may be accomplished -invarious'ways'according to the intricacy ofthedesign involved and itsdimensions. 'The following- 'discloses a'few'of the numerous methodswhich Ihave found tobe efiective;-andit 'is understood that similarresults may be reached in -many other ways without departing fromthe'spirit of thepresentinvention within the scope of the appendedclaims.

Designs :consisting of plain-outlines, signatures, etcpn-iay be workedby hand-directly into the mesh. This can be done by using carving tools,chisels, or-by a power 'dr-iven router, and abrasive mountedwheel, or a"rotary" file.

Plain letters, signatures, simple trade-marks, etc, arecut out fromplywood, cardboard, fibre or sheet metal, and those cut-out designs usedas masters for a reproduction into the mesh (see Figs. 2 and 3). Thesemasters are appliedas a punch and arepressed into the fabric by anysuitable means, such as a roller press apparatus, or the like.Thus,i.the-design is reproduced into the mesh withall its details.

For the reproduction.of1ornaments even simpler:means are available. .Anysuitable article of metal such asia straight rule, a circle, square,etc., may be used as a. master'for pressing an ornamentinto amesh. orfabric.

It is possible to provide large size formed mesh dies at anamazingly lowcost by repeatedly impressin the same master into the mesh. This isconsidered an important advantage of this process.

By preparing a set ofletters, any combination of lettering may becomposed and thereafter reproduced into the mesh. Such masteralphabetsmay be used. repeatedly, thus providing an inexpensive. meansof: simple reproduction.

Another simple way-of producing a formed mesh dieconsistsinxhand-composing the re- ,quired copy: or in providing a typecastmaster by machine typesetting. This master is then impressed into themesh and the same composition may be used repeatedly for making anydesired number of mesh dies orfor impressing one fabric all over. Stockcuts. foundry borders, or machine borders, may be used in the. same way.

Designs may be incorporated directly into a brass-or copper mesh byapplying photo-mechanical methods, following-the. usual procedure ofrelated arts. Sensitizingthe surface of a dense fabric and etching thesame may be accomplished in the waya line-cut is photo-engraved, amethod which is well known to thoseiskilled in the art. The resultingetched mesh die will not show any compacted design area, but will show adesign recess which iscapable of reproducing the design. 7

When lettering-only isrequired, the easy impressability of ameshxrenders vpossible the :use

01 :2, lettering device similar to an a electric typewriter. but'withinverted letters. The flexability of the fabric, permitsits insertioninto themachineiin thesame wayqa sheet of paper is inserted into atypewriter. Instead of .a 'rubberroll, a non-resilient fibre or metalcarrier is necessary as a-backing, and its length-will have tobeequivalent to the width of .the mesh to beimpressed. A holding fixturewill facilitate the insertion of long sheets and the rolling up afterprocessing.

In addition, any of the usual embossing methods may be'used to impress adesign into the mesh die and for imparting a design area therein.

While the above methods refer to specialcases, it will bepractical,..for general purposes, to pro- .vide: as master azinc-etchingwhich isprepared in the usual way. Light etching onlyisrequired and the cut does not have to be routed or blocked. Thismaster'is put face to face with the mesh and the whole subjected topressure.

Inl ig. 2, a design33 is shown, the letterA having been selected for thepurpose of illustration, which may be impressed'as shown in Fig 3 intothesurface of a wire'mesh3 l-by-any suitable method-aas hereinabovedescribed; the wire mesh 34 thereby receives a design impression 36.Only small pressure needs to be applied to cause such design impression3B; the pressure will be sufficient, however, to deform. and flattensome of; the 'weavings-corresponding to the shape and outline andcontour .of the :design 33. Said wire mesh which has .now become aformed wire mesh die is then placed in contact with a material 31(see-.FigA) for. imparting thereon the shape of the design 33 whilebeing subjected to pressure. Thezapplication of the pressure isindicated by avertical arrow 38. The designl33rmay-1also be applied toboth surfaces ofa-wire mesh which is thereby rendered usable'forreproduction in obverse as well as reverse. F'or this purpose I impressthe design 33 for' about two-thirds of the thickness into the .-mesh;.thereafter, I run the mesh through a pressure appliance, the impressedsurface of said mesh being placed against a rubberplate as a counter,While the design 33 is being impressed into the opposite surface,thereby creating symmetrical design impressions in the mesh.

A mesh die 39 prepared by the foregoing procedure, theupper andlowersurfaces having depressions symmetrical to and opposite each otherdesignated 4! and 42, respectively, is shown in .Fig. 5. A. material 43is placed on top of said die 39 and another material 44 is placedtherebelow and both are shown in engagement therewith. Two materials .43and 44 may be impressed simultaneously by using such a die 39therebetween.

Instead of. depressing'the surface of a wire mesh or providing a recesstherein as described in the above, the design 33 may also be placed .ontop of thewire mesh 3!, as shown in Fig. 6, and may be connected theretoby means of sewing, s0ldering, or welding if it be of metal, or byanyother suitable means. The design may also be sewn or embroidereddirectly thereon, using a thread of wire for that purpose. Such sewingor embroidering a design directly onto the surface of a wire mesh. 3|may be done by hand or by a sewing or embroidering machine.

For making a wire mesh more resistant to wear and tear for frequent runsit may be coated onone of its surfaces with a suitable coating,preferably ametal coating by spraying metal .thereonto. ..Such coating.ofimetal or the likefor the purpose of increasing the resistance to wearof the mesh should be done so that it only covers the wires of the meshand leaves the spaces therebetween open. Such metal spraying should bedone after the design has been embodied into the wire mesh and anexample of such metal spray coating is shown in Fig. 6 and designated45, and it will be readily understood that it may be applied to anyother mesh dies described herein, for the purpose set forth. In Fig. 6,the metal spray coating is shown applied to the surface which includesthe design 33, thereby rendering the design 33 as well as the wire mesh3| more resistant.

The design 33 secured to the top of the wire mesh 3| as shown in Fig. 6may, in a subsequent operation, be rolled into the wire mesh so that thedesign 33 will be substantially flush with the surface of the wire mesh3| as disclosed in Fig. 7. A coating of metal spray may thereafter beapplied to the surface common to the wire mesh and the design, or itmaybe used for reproducing without such coating.

In the ensuing decorating process the design 33 will leave an impressionon the material which differs from the screen impression created by thesurrounding mesh 3|.

Another way of embodying a design in a wire mesh is by embossing ittherein by any suitable embossing operation creating an embossed wiremesh die 41, shown in Fig. 8. The wire mesh die 4! may now readily beused for reproducing the design embossed thereon.

However, I prefer to subject the embossed wire mesh die 41 to a furtheroperation by flattening the now raised design area into the mesh. Thisis easily done by pressing the mesh in a fiat bed press or between tworollers 48 and 49, as shown in Fig. 8, and the design area is thuspressed down practically to the same surface level as the rest of themesh.

I have discovered that a mesh die prepared by this sequence ofoperations has practically no compacted design area, but, at the sametime, has a design area which differs in its structure of mesh from thesurrounding area and which is suitable for reproduction onto a material.Said design area is characterized by a weaving dislocation brought aboutby the initial embossing operation, which subjected the respectiveportion of the structure of the mesh to a shifting, or dislocation anddistortion.

Furthermore, the wire mesh may also be subjected to other processing. Asshown in Fig. 9,

a continuous cover 5| may be secured to a wire mesh 3|. The cover may bemade of thin sheet metal or other thin and pliable material if it isdesired that the resulting article is flexible, or it may be made ofheavy gauge metal if it is desired to lend rigidity to the entire deviceand may also consist of a continuous metal spray, as explained in detaillater on. The cover 5| may be secured to one surface of the wire mesh 3|by means of soldering, brazing or welding, if it be made of metal, or itmay be secured thereto by any other suitable means. In Fig. 9, welds aredesignated 52 and shown as connections between the wires of the mesh 3|and the cover 5|.

Instead of using a plate for a cover the same may be substituted by acontinuous coat of metal spray or the like, which, however, differs fromthe metal spray coating discussed hereinbefore. The continuous coatingwhich takes the place of the cover plate will have an appearance verysimilar to the plate, inasmuch as it completely closes the openingsbetween the wires on one surface of said wire mesh 3|, and in Fig. 9 5|represents either a cover plate or a continuous metallized sprayed-oncover.

The rigidity of the entire device having such a continuous metal spraycover will vary with the thickness of such cover. If the metal spray isdirected against the surface of the wire mesh 3| for a longer time thecover will become heavier and the entire device be more rigid.

The particular use of the embodiment shown in Fig. 9 will be discussedhereinbelow, a material 53 being shown in engagement therewith for thepurpose of surface decorating.

A wire mesh may also receive impressions by one of the foregoing orother suitable and well known methods which will result in a designimpression on one side and a corresponding elevation on the oppositeside of said wire mesh. In Fig. 10, a wire mesh 54 is shown having sucha parallel design elevation 56 and a cover 51 consisting either of aplate secured to a surface which contains the elevation 56 of said wiremesh 54, or consisting of a metal spray covering the entire uppersurface area of said wire mesh 54. The elevation and correspondingimpression do not have to be limited to one surface of the mesh, but apart of the design may appear on one surface, and a part on the, othersurface of the mesh.

A similar arrangement is disclosed in Fig. 11, the wire mesh 54 having aparallel elevation, and a cover 59 is shown secured to the undersidethereof; said cover 59 consists of a plate or a continuous metal spray.

In Figs. 10 and 11, the covers 51 and 59, respectively, envelope oneentire surface of the formed wire mesh die 54, following the contourthereof throughout. If such cover is made of a piece of metal or thelike, it has to be either pliable so that it mayv easily be bent alongthe irregular surface of the wire mesh 54, or may have to be preformedin a separate stamping operation prior to securing it to the surface ofthe wire mesh.

An entirely different type of formed mesh die may be made by placing awire mesh 6| on top of another wire mesh 52, at an angle of weaving, andsubsequently pressing the same into each other until they are closelyentwined (see Figs. 12 and 13).

A die of this character may thereafter be subjected to designimpressions by one of the methods hereinabove described forincorporating a design, resulting in a formed die for reproducing anappealing watered silk (moir) pattern and many novel patterns. Thecharacteristics of this pattern change according to the angle of weavingof both fabrics.

If more than two fabrics are employed in this way, the resulting fancypattern will be even more intricate and appealing in appearance.

An infinite number of patterns are made available bythis'method, becauseany two or more of the multitude of different standard meshes may becombined'with each other.

If a formed mesh die is used as top mesh, its combination with such aplain mesh will result in a reproduction showing the design on anornamental background of watered silk or other fancy pattern. Anunlimited variety of such backgrounds being made available, thecombination of a design, trade-mark or lettering with a uniquebackground is afforded which offers an excellent meansofindividualization and identification.

For best results, it will be practical to use 9 .clifierentgra'des :ofmesh for each layer and to provide as backing or 'bottom mesh a fabricmade of a softer metal than the top wire mesh. In a"threeJayenarrangement, for instance, the bottom :may be copper wiremesh, the in-betweenlayer brass or aluminum fabric, and the top layerphosphorous bronze or Monel wire mesh. The compacting of. suchlayer-arrangement of fabrics in different degrees of metal hardness maybe done in any suitable=manner by a separate opera- 5 tion, such asrunning it :throughpressure rollers. Thus, the layers will be pressedtogether according to the hardness of their basic metal and grade ofmesh. A compacted sheet which can be easily handled is thus "created.

A cover 5! may be secured to one surface of said entwined wire meshcombination die and secured thereto as "discussed hereinabove and may-preferably consistof a continuous metal spray which covers the entiresurface area including the perforations thereof.

In addition to such continuous metal spray the other side .of any one ofthe type of dies shown, may also be subjected to metal spraying: thislatter sprayinghowever, must be confined to the wires of the mesh dieand must .not cover the perforations in the surface; it merely servesthe purpose of increasingthe resistance to wear of the die, as discussedat Fig. 6 in the foregoing.

In Fig. 14, a mesh die 63 is shown from which a portion 'has been cutout, leaving an aperture 64 in the mesh die 63. Acover of metal plate orthe like is shown on one surface thereof covering the same completelyincluding the aperture '64 and is secured to thesurface by soldering orany other suitable method. However, the cover 66 does notcons'istof .ametal spray coating, but consistsiof a continuouspiece ofmaterial. Metal.sprayingmaynot be employed for :this cover 66 as the .cover would showa discontinuation adjacent the aperture .64.

In Fig. '15, a design 61 inform of the letter A is shown cutout from awire mesh and having a cover.68 secured thereto which is made ofonepieceofmetalorthe like. In this embodiment the wire mesh constitutes thedesign for reproduction in moldable material. The cover :68 .envelopsthe .entire. surface of the design including thecut-outs thereof and hasan outer contour which substantially-coincides with that of the design61.

I have found .that .my invention lends itself particularly well to:decorate uneven surfaces, for instance, .of cylindrical, convex orconcave shape; as an illustration, 'five squares ofa cube maysimultaneously be decorated in one operation. For this purpose it ispossible either to form a wire mesh firstin cubic shape and thereafterto make the design impressions into the same, or, preferably, the designimpressions may be made first and then the wire mesh formed into therequired shape.

Accordingly, in Fig. 16, a flat wire mesh die '69 is shown having .aplurality of design impressions "H therein, and in :Fig. 1'7 the meshdie is shown folded to a cubic shape with one open side. It may be heldin this form either by soldering.alongsidethe edges or by a frame, or byany other suitable means.

In Fig. 18, an application of the die shown in Fig. 17 is illustrated,ihaving a design H embodied therein and having .a cover 5| consisting ofa plate or metal spray secur'ed-to the outside thereof, and the'entire'device placed inamold 72;

Flu

and a material 13 .isshown indesignengagement with the wire mesh 69. Adetailed explanation of this figure is given later on. A furtherapplication of such a cubic die 69 is shown in Fig. 19, the die havingthe design impression H and the cover 5| secured to the outer surfacethereof and placed in a mold '12 in engagement with a material 14. Saidmaterial 14 is at the same time engaged by 'a second mesh die It incontact with the inside of the material 14 and carrying a cover 5|securedto its inside and a design 18, embodied on its outside surface. Aplunger 19 of a press is shown (other parts of the press having beenleft out), which is pressing against a medium 8! of sand or the likeplaced within the outline of saidsecond mesh die 16 and designed toprovide an even now of pressure within the mold 172.

A flexible mesh die 82 is disclosed in Fig. 20 having a design 83embodied on one surface and is shown applied against a material 8 ofcylindrical shape. As shown in broken lines, the flex ible die 82 may becompletely wrapped around the cylindrical surface of the material forthe purpose of design reproduction thereon. 'Such a flexible die lendsitself also to be wrapped around the surface of an entire column byapplying it thereagainst inthe manner of a cylindrical spring similar tothe way .a paper straw is constructed, but having the side edgesabutting against each other rather than overlapping. The die may also beplaced around steps, applied to unlevel, shaped, curved, or formedsurfaces, as such a die is fiexible and can be made in any length andshape and can have designs embodiedover its entire length. Long surfacesof said wire mesh die may be decorated, successively, by repeating thesame design, or one continuous design may be rolled thereinto orotherwise embodied therein. .A cover, as shown in and described at Fig.9, .and designated 5| may again be secured to the outside of thewiremesh die 82, a portion of which is shown in Fig. .20, therest havingbeen broken away. 7

In Fig. 21, a spherically shaped, hollow wire mesh die 36 is shownhaving acoverBl secured on the outside and .having a design 88 embodiedon the inside thereof; the front portion of the I device shown in Fig.21 is partly broken away to design embodied before or after suchforming.

The cover 81 must be preformed by a drawing operation if it be made ofmetal or the like, or may consist of a continuous layer of metal thathas been sprayed onto the outer surface :of the wire mesh 86.

A cube 89 formedxintegralwith and protruding from a base 9| "is shown inFig. 22, made of moldable material and adapted to be subjected to amolding operation and/or a design imparting operation.

In Fig. 23, a finished article 96 of moldable material is disclosed;asemi-sphere 92 is shown which projects from a base 93 and. has a designB l embodied inthe-outer surface.

In addition to the three-dimensional design impression, a coat of paint,bronze emulsion or lacquer may be "deposited on the surface of themoldable material, and in decorating of glass, an etching solution cansimilarly be applied. As

shown in Fig. 24, a wire mesh die 34 embodying a design 36, has a layerof paint or other coloring material 91 thereon which is ready to bedeposited therefrom onto a moldable material 3! shown in pressureengagement with said wire mesh 34.

In Fig. 25, a conventional hand-press 98 is shown comprising a frame, anoperating table 99, and a plunger IOI which can reciprocate verticallyin response to the movement of a hand lever I02 located in said frame. Apressure plate I03 is secured to the lower end of the plunger IOI and ismade of insulating material. The inside of said pressure plate I03contains a hollow chamber and perforations I04 in the base of saidpressure plate I03 which connect the hollow chamber thereof with theoutside. Pipe lines I06 are connected to one side of said pressure plateI03, each pipe having a valve I01 for controlling the flow therefrom.The other end of the pipe lines I06 connect to a cooling plant orheating plant, respectively, or to tanks containing chemical material;these connections are not shown in the drawing.

The hollow inside of the pressure plate I03 is shown filled with aliquid substance I08 which emanates from the pipe lines I and passesthrough the perforations I04 in form of a spray I09 shown below the baseof the pressure plate.

A moldable material 31 is placed on top of said operating table 99 andcarrying on top in close engagement a wire mesh 34 which embodies adesign I36.

A wire mesh 34 embodying a design 36 is shown in Fig. 26, carrying anelectric wire terminal II I on each end; these terminals I provideconnection to a source of electric charge adapted to send current intothe wire mesh. Said wire mesh 34 is shown in contact with a moldablematerial 31 which is placed on an operating table He of a press (notshown in detail). Above said wire mesh 34, an insulating plate I I2 issecured to the underside of a plunger II3 of the press and exertspressure from above against said wire mesh. The wire mesh 34 and theinsulating plate I I2 are secured to the plunger I I3 by means of strapsII4 for providing a means to lift and lower the wire mesh together withthe operating movement of the plunger II3.

An electric circuit II! is illustrated in Fig. 27 which may be employedwith the wire mesh 34 carrying electrical terminals III and shown inFig. 26; the elements of Fig. 27 are shown in extended perspective inschematic. The electrical circuit H1 is activated by a source ofelectrical charge H8 and connects two wire mesh dies 34, arranged inparallel in the circuit, and includes a switch H9 in series with theelectric source II8. A conventional timing device I2I is connected tothe switch II9 for controlling the release thereof from its closedposition and is adapted selectively to control the time in which currentmay flow through the electric circuit I Il.

A plunger H3 and an operating table IIB are illustrated which form partsof a press (not shown) and a material 31 to be decorated is shownbetween the two wire mesh dies 34. The plunger II3 carries a lever I22which bears upon an end of a second lever I23 during the downwardmovement of said plunger II3; said second lever I23 is stationarypivoted at the other end and rests about midway upon said switch I I9.

When said plunger I I3 moves downward, the lever I22 will bear againstthe one end of said second lever I23 which in turn will depress saidswitch H9 and close the electric circuit III. During the upward movementof said plunger H3 the free end of said second lever I23 will bereleased and the switch may thereafter be lifted by the timing deviceafter expiration of the selected period of time and will open thecircuit I I! and return to its initial position; at the same time, thesecond lever I23 will then also resume its original place and is thenready for an ensuing operating cycle of the press.

Molding and simultaneous decorating Molding and simultaneous decoratingmay be carried out with any one of the embodiments of my invention shownin the drawings and described in the foregoing.

A wire mesh is placed in a, mold and may cover a portion of the insidethereof or may cover the entire surface area thereof. If thereproduction of a simple screen pattern is desired, a wire mesh 3I shownin Fig. 1 may be used. If the reproduction of a design is desired whichhas been embodied in a wire mesh, the mesh is placed in a mold with thedesign portion thereof facing the material, for imparting the designthereonto.

As an illustration and referring now particularly to Fig. 18, a wiremesh 69 having a design II embodied on its inner surface is placed in amold I2 and covers the inside wall thereof for a portion, and is shownin contact with moldable material 13. A cover 5| is secured to the outersurface of said mesh die 89 which is adjacent the walls of said mold I2.When the material is filled into said mold in a liquid or semiliquidstate, or is injected in powdered form thereinto, the material willengage the, design surface of said wire mesh 69 and receive designimpressions in its own surfaces. The material may also penetrate intothe body of the wire mesh 69 and fill the spaces between the wiresthereof. In order to limit such penetration the cover 5| has beensecured to the outside surface of the wire mesh 69. This is furtherillustrated in Fig. 9, where the combination of a wire mesh 3I with acover 5| is shown in detail, wherein the cover may be a plate or mayhave been metal sprayed on.

When a wire mesh die is put in contact with the surface of a moldablematerial, a portion of said material may penetrate into the wire meshdepending on the pressure, the viscosity of the material and the type ofwire mesh used. The moldable material 53 may only infiltrate, however,up to said cover 5| of the mesh die 3|, but may not protrude beyond andwill be retained therein. The cover 5I also will retain in the body ofthe mesh die any substances that may be placed therein, such as oil or apaste to prevent such infiltration altogether or to control the depththereof.

After the material has been deposited in the mold I2, it undergoes ahardening process either by drying or by undergoing heat treatment whichmay be accomplished by heating the mold or by any other suitable means.Before the surface of the material has hardened completely, the same hasto be removed from the mold together with the wire mesh 69, and thelatter be lifted therefrom; thereafter, the material is left to hardenby drying or is put into an oven for that purpose.

It will be understood that the particular wire mesh 69 shown in Fig. 18and formed as shown and described at Fig. 17, may be substituted by anyother of the wire meshes shown and described. For instance, material mayfirst be poured into the mold to fill one half of its volume, andthereafter the'wire mesh 39 shown in Fig. 5, having depressions in itsupper and lower surfaces, beplaced therein, and subsequently the moldfilled with material up to the top. Two articles each having a decoratedsurface will result therefrom.

As a further illustration, the wire mesh 61 constituting a design, shownin Fig. 15, may be placed on the base of the mold 12 of Fig. 18 with thecover 68 downward, and then the material l3 is filled into the mold 12.Before'the material is completely hardened the design 61' has to beremoved from the surface thereof.

The arrangement shown in Fig. 19 admits of decorating a material ofhollow shape from both outside as. well as inside. After placing thelower die 69 into the mold, material is filled in, the quantity of saidmaterial depending on the volume of the final shape, and thereafter theupper die 16" having a design 78 embodied in its outside surface ispressed into the material designated "M. In order to facilitate suchpressing, the inside of said upper die which carries a cover has beenfilled with sand or similar material 81 for providing equal distributionin all directions. Pressure means represented in Fig. 19 by a plunger 19are then applied against the surface of thev sand 8| until the upper die16 has reached its final position, shown herein (as an example) to beflush with the lower die.

To simplify the removing, of the dies from the surfaces of thematerial'l l, no designs have. been shown in the sides of the dies butonly in the upper and lower surfaces, respectively; however, designreproductions may well be made in the sides of the material if care isexercised in bending the die from the material when removing ittherefrom. by providing semi-hard moldable material as shown in Fig. 22with a projection from the base shown to be substantially in the form ofa cube 89, but which may also be of any irregular shape even crudelyformed by hand or otherwise. The specially shaped hollow wire mesh die86 of the type shown in Fig. 21 having a cover 31 consisting of a plateor metal spray to provide additional rigidity and also to preventmaterial from penetrating beyond the thickness of the die, maythereafter be applied as a mesh die mold against said cubic projection89. The die as will thereby impart to the projection 89 a convex shape92 as shown in Fig. 23 and simultaneously leave a de-- sign impression94 therein.

If hardening of a material is to be accomplished by heating, the die 69and 16 may be heated by means of the electric circuit I ll asschematically illustrated and described at Fig. 27.

Decorating moldable surfaces of previously formed material Materialssuch as ceramics or plaster are moldable for a certain period of time,after which, through drying, they gradually harden. Other moldablematerials, on the other hand, like some plastic materials or clays,retain their moldable characteristics for a long period of time, some ofthem practically indefinitely. And finally, there are materials that arenot moldable at all at room temperature, but become so only at elevatedtemperatures, such as thermoplastics, glass, etc.

It is possible, however, to make some materials of the first typetemporarily moldable, at least Molding may also be accomplished on theirsurfaces; by treating them i with a chemical' agent, and it is possibletocause' permanently moldablematerials of thesecond group to losethesecharacteristics and'to harden by heat treating s'om'e of them, orfreezing certain others, or bychemically treating them in addition tothis physical treatment.

In order to reproduce fine details of a design in thesurface of amaterial, it is desirable to have surface thereof in theproper moldablestate at the moment of pressing the wire mesh die against thesame.

Incarryingthe foregoing'into effect and referring particularly to-Fig.25,- I provide a press 98'; described previously in detail, having apressure plate" 1% to which pipe lines let are connected. With; thismachine most types of material can be decorated in accordance with myinvention; if a-hardrnaterial is used and the surface has to berenderedmoldablefirst, one of the pipes we will conduct the requiredchemical solution into the hollow chamber'of thepressure plate 503 fromwhere the same will flow downward through the perforations lil's'andreach the-surface of the materialt t'in a thin-spray is while the Wiremesh 35 has been removed; The wire mesh 3 is thereafter placed on top'cf'the material, and in the following operation, the-plunger It! islowered and pressure is exerted from the pressure plate 39 against thewire mesh 37; and the surface of the material will assume the shape ofthe design 36, asshown in'Fig. 4. After lifting the pressure andremoving the wire mesh, another one of the pipes tilt may conduct adrying or other hardening agent for treating the material.

The treatments taking place before or after the pressure operation maybe physical or chemical treatments, ora combination of the two, and mayalso be carried out while the wire mesh 36 is in place, except where themesh die has a continuous cover secured to the upper surface, byspraying through the apertures of said wire mesh; these treatments mayalso be applied during the pressure operation.

If heating or cooling is required, steam, or hot or cold air, or gaseouscarbon dioxide or the like may be blown through the pipes I96 resultingin air flow instead of a spray. The physical and chemical treatments mayalso be carried out by any other suitable means, and I do not limitmyself to the specific embodiments shown and described save as definedin the appended claims.

The wire mesh must be made of a material that is resistant to thesephysical or chemical treatments, and wire mesh made of steel,phosphorous bronze, nickel or Monel may be employed to withstand extremeheat and chemical reactions. The mesh die may also be treated forcorrosion resistance by plating, coating, etc., or plastic threads maybe employed for that purpose.

It will be readily understood from what has been said hereinabove, thatanyone of the wire mesh dies disclosed and described in the foregoingmay be utilized for this type of decorating.

For reproducing a design in a surface of cylindrical shape the flexiblewire mesh die 82 may be used, shown in Fig. 20, which is wrapped aroundthe cylindrical surface and in which successive portions of the die 82are brought in contact with successive portions of the surface of saidcylindrical material 84, and pressure is applied between said die andsaid cylindrical surface at each succeeding contact step.

Where high temperatures are required, for instance, to make the surfaceof glass temporarily moldable, and where it is advantageous to carry outthe operation at the instance when the required temperature has beenreached, I provide a conductive wire mesh that has electric currentterminals Iii, as shown in Fig. 26. These terminals connect to a sourceof electric charge and when a sufficient amount of current passesthrough the wire mesh, it will bring the same to the desiredtemperature. On top of the wire mesh I provide a flat piece ofinsulating material I I2 to prevent the loss of heat through a plunger I!3 when applied with relation to the wire mesh 34. The material 3'! isthen decorated as shown, and the design 36 will remain permanently inthe surface after the material has cooled OK.

The circuit for the electric current is illustrated in Fig. 27 where amaterial 31 is shown that may be decorated from above as well as belowby means of two wire mesh dies 34. During the operation the switch I 19will be closed and cause electric current to flow through the wire meshdies for heating the same.

Said switch I I9 has a, timing device l2l which will keep the circuitclosed for a predetermined period of time which may be in excess of thetime the plunger remains at its lowest position during the pressingoperation. This is necessary where after the pressure stroke heating isrequired for the purpose of drying or the like. Said switch I 19 mayalso be operated by hand for preheating prior to the pressure operation.

Besides the special applications suggested hereinabove, the formed wiremesh dies are usable with many of the well-known die-casting or moldingmachines, if the conventional casts or molds are replaced by moldsequipped with my wire mesh dies of the types described hereinabove.

I do not limit myself to the particular details of construction setforth in the foregoing specifica tion and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, as the same refer to and set forth only certainembodiments of the invention and it is obvious that the same may bemodified, within the scope of the appended claims, without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire tobe secured by Letters Patent, is as follows:

1. An article for reproducing a design in a material, comprising a meshand a continuous metallic spray on one surface thereof, for providing acover thereon.

2. An article for reproducing a design in a material, comprising, twomeshes at an angle of weaving to each other and closely entwined andproviding at least one common surface, and a continuous cover disposedentirely on the exterior of and permanently secured to said surface.

EDGAR C. V. OLDOFREDI.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 199,583 Siemens Jan. 22, 1878808,479 Riddle Dec. 26, 1905 1,978,030 Ritchie Oct. 23, 1934 2,016,913Uriwal Oct. 8, 1935 2,076,846 Johanson Apr. 13, 1937 2,119,291 RieserMay 31, 1938 2,147,218 Reimel Feb. 14, 1939 2,320,789 Montague et alJune 1, 1943 2,370,186 Oldofredi Feb. 27, 1945

1. AN ARTICLE FOR REPRODUCING A DESING IN A MATERIAL, COMPRISING A MESHAND A CONTINUOUS METALLIC SPRAY ON ONE SURFACE THEREOF, FOR PROVIDING ACOVER THEREON.